Three people shot to death in tiny South Dakota town; former mayor charged

Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town’s mayor is charged in the killings.

Jay Ostrem, 64, was jailed on $1 million cash-only bond on three counts of first-degree murder, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said Tuesday in a news release. It wasn’t immediately clear if Ostrem had an attorney. Calls to a phone listing for Ostrem went unanswered.

A probable cause affidavit identified the victims as two brothers, ages 26 and 21, and a 35-year-old man.

Ostrem worked in law enforcement for more than two decades in Wyoming and South Dakota, media reports said. He served as mayor of Centreville about a decade-and-a-half ago, but the exact dates weren’t immediately available.